All in Tampa Bay Restaurants
As I strolled into South Tampa newcomer, Wimuma for a late dinner last Saturday night, I could not help but take in the warm welcome I felt while walking to my table. I am not solely speaking of the sincere cheerful greeting I received from the chef’s wife, Amy. I am referring to the “make yourself right at home” southern hospitable ambiance that speaks through this restaurant’s walls. Tastefully mismatched dining room tables and chairs are placed delightfully around the very small dining room. Colorful local art that captures the beauty that is both old and new Tampa covers the restaurant’s walls. A giant chalkboard wall displays beer, wine and special lists. Dim lighting creates charm and romance. Flowers and candles add a fresh flair to my already appealing surroundings.
Only three years ago an immediately proud establishment took South Tampa’s culinary community on a new ride. They knew they were something different. They knew they were something good. Datz, now a household name, has successfully earned its place in Palma Ceia with its location dominant on Macdill Avenue. A self-proclaimed gastro pub featuring a wide array of delicious craft beers, this joint is best known for their sky-high stacked sandwiches and equally enormous breakfasts. They are cheese connoisseurs, comfort food fanatics and meat devotees. Their plates often provoke a jaw dropping, eye popping reaction when served to patrons. Their portions are crazy huge but still perfectly plated. They have certainly mastered the art in simultaneously feeding the hungry and pleasing the snobby.
The most gorgeous St. Pete beach day to date in 2012 quickly came and went. 78 degrees, not a cloud in the sky and a nice breeze keeping the sweat from dripping off our brows…I could not have asked for more. A legitimate Florida native, I have always counted my blessings twice for the incredible weather we are so blessed with ten months out of the year. On this particular heavenly beach day a certain self-proclaimed “foodie” had forgone her standard nutritious gourmet picnic lunch due to an intense feeling of urgency to get to the sand and sun. Absolutely content until the very end of the day, my mind began wandering on where we could venture off to for some post-beach bites. With a long list of St. Pete eateries left untouched, there were endless possibilities until suddenly, I thought no further. Remembering an episode of Diners Drive-ins and Dives, I knew exactly where we would go.
An imaginative and sophisticated farm-to-table restaurant with a serious focus on seasonal ingredients awaits Miami foodies. This is an establishment that noticeably prides itself on creativity, hospitality and most importantly, using the finest local ingredients hand picked from their very own garden. It is a restaurant that exudes class the second you walk through the doorway. It is a restaurant that would undoubtedly stand up to world-renowned eateries in New York and San Francisco. It is a place I plan to visit every time I travel four hours south of Tampa from this day forward. Eden Roc Renaissance’s 1500 Degrees is culinary excellence at its very best.
Fascinated by the many flavors of our world, I strive to be proactive in consistently tasting international foods as a means to keep my taste buds enthusiastically diversified. My palate welcomes interesting concoctions so long as they are spiced perfectly right, cooked to ideal tenderness and each bite tastes better than the last. Driving down Henderson Avenue in South Tampa, my curiosity is always at an all-time high when I see Queen of Sheba, an Ethiopian restaurant that looks delightfully quirky from it’s exterior.
